An association study of functional polymorphic genes IRF-1, IFNGR-1, and IFN-γ with disease progression, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and viral load in chronic hepatitis B and C

Role of Interferon Regulatory Factor 1 in acute and chronic virus infections

Decades of research have defined the function of interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) in the antiviral immune response. Interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) is the founding member of the IRF family, with recognized antiviral effects across diverse virus infections. While most antiviral activities of IRF-1 were defined in vitro, fewer studies examined the role of IRF-1 during viral infection of an intact host. Taking advantage of mouse models of global or cell type-specific IRF-1 deficiency, recent studies demonstrate intriguing virus- and cell type-specific functions of IRF-1 during in vivo infection, underlining the complexity of this ancient transcription factor. Here, we review the role of IRF-1 during acute and chronic viral infections of an intact host, with particular focus on relating observations found in mouse models to those observed in a recent study of pediatric patients with IRF-1 insufficiency. By appreciating the complexity of IRF-1 in the immune response, we highlight several virus- and cell type-specific functions of IRF-1 in contributing to host antiviral immunity.

Association between the interferon-γ +874T/A polymorphism and susceptibility to hepatitis B virus infection: a meta-analysis

Objective

This study investigated the correlation between the interferon (IFN)-γ +874T/A polymorphism and hepatitis B virus (HBV) susceptibility using meta-analysis.

Methods

PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CNKI, and China Wanfang databases were searched for case–control studies investigating the IFN-γ +874T/A polymorphism and HBV susceptibility from the time of database establishment to April 2020. Stata 15.0 software was used, and the subgroups of ethnicity and Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium were analyzed.

Results

Thirteen articles were included in this study. Significant differences were seen in the allelic model, dominant model, homozygous model, and heterozygous model, but heterogeneity was high. Analysis of the East Asian population revealed combined odds ratios of the allelic model (T vs. A), dominant model (TT + TA vs. AA), homozygous model (TT vs. AA), and heterozygous model (TA vs. AA) of 0.61, 0.56, 0.50, and 0.59, respectively. The difference was significant and the heterogeneity low. The recessive model showed no significance in the overall comparison, or in East Asian and Caucasian populations.

Conclusions

The IFN-γ +874T/A polymorphism is associated with the risk of HBV, especially in the East Asian population. Individuals with the T allele and TT and TA genotypes have a reduced risk of HBV infection.

Association of an IFN-γ variant with susceptibility to chronic hepatitis B by the enhancement of HBV DNA replication

Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) is a crucial cytokine in host immune response to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. This study aimed to determine whether a functional polymorphism +874T/A in IFN-γ gene linked to high and low producer phenotypes [IFN-γ (+874T^high → A^low)] may alter the outcomes of chronic HBV infection in Tunisian population. The +874T/A was analysed by ARMS-PCR method in the group of 200 patients chronically infected with HBV and 200 healthy controls. We observed that minor +874A allele, minor +874AA and +874TA genotypes were significantly more frequent in the chronic hepatitis B group in comparison to the control group [49 vs. 31%, P < 10^-4; 24 vs. 13%, P < 10^-4; 52 vs. 38%, P < 10^-4; respectively]. Besides, they were associated with susceptibility to hepatitis B infection [OR = 2.15, 3.87 and 2.84, respectively]. The minor +874A allele and +874AA genotype were statistically more representative in the sub-group of patients with high viral DNA load when compared with the sub-group of patients with low HBV DNA load [(57% vs. 43%, P = 0.003, OR = 1.79); (33% vs. 14%, P = 0.003, OR = 3.59), respectively]. Collectively, our study suggests an association between the IFN-γ +874T/A SNP and persistence of HBV by the enhancement of HBV DNA replication.

New Gene Variants Associated with the Risk of Chronic HBV Infection

Some patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection failed to clear HBV, even persistently continue to produce antibodies to HBV. Here we performed a two stage genome wide association study in a cohort of Chinese patients designed to discover single nucleotide variants that associate with HBV infection and clearance of HBV. The first stage involved genome wide exome sequencing of 101 cases (HBsAg plus anti-HBs positive) compared with 102 control patients (anti-HBs positive, HBsAg negative). Over 80% of individual sequences displayed 20 × sequence coverage. Adapters, uncertain bases > 10% or low-quality base calls (> 50%) were filtered and compared to the human reference genome hg19. In the second stage, 579 chronic HBV infected cases and 439 HBV clearance controls were sequenced with selected genes from the first stage. Although there were no significant associated gene variants in the first stage, two significant gene associations were discovered when the two stages were assessed in a combined analysis. One association showed rs506121-"T" allele [within the dedicator of cytokinesis 8 (DOCK8) gene] was higher in chronic HBV infection group than that in clearance group (P = 0.002, OR = 0.77, 95% CI [0.65, 0.91]). The second association involved rs2071676-A allele within the Carbonic anhydrase (CA9) gene that was significantly elevated in chronic HBV infection group compared to the clearance group (P = 0.0003, OR = 1.35, 95% CI [1.15, 1.58]). Upon replication these gene associations would suggest the influence of DOCK8 and CA9 as potential risk genetic factors in the persistence of HBV infection.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in IFN-γ Signaling Pathway Associated with Risk of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Chinese Children

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a challenging public health problem in China and worldwide. Mother-to-child transmission is one of the main transmission routes of HBV in highly endemic regions. However, the mechanisms of HBV perinatal transmission in children have not been clearly defined. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IFN-γ signaling pathway and HBV infection or breakthrough infection in children. Two hundred and seventy-four HBV-infected children defined as test positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and 353 controls defined as negative for HBsAg in China were recruited from October 2013 to May 2015. SNPs in IFN-γ signaling pathway including IFNG, IFNGR1, IFNGR2, and IL12B were genotyped. Rs2234711 in IFNGR1 was significantly associated with HBV infection in children (OR = 0.641, 95% CI: 0.450–0.913). In addition, rs2234711 was also significantly associated with HBV breakthrough infection in children born to HBsAg-positive mothers (OR = 0.452, 95% CI: 0.205–0.998). Our study confirmed that genetic variants in IFN-γ signaling pathway have significant associations with HBV infection, especially with HBV breakthrough in children. This study provides insight into HBV infection in children and could be used to help design effective strategies for reducing immunoprophylaxis failure.

Direct Inhibition of IRF-Dependent Transcriptional Regulatory Mechanisms Associated With Disease

Interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) are a family of homologous proteins that regulate the transcription of interferons (IFNs) and IFN-induced gene expression. As such they are important modulating proteins in the Toll-like receptor (TLR) and IFN signaling pathways, which are vital elements of the innate immune system. IRFs have a multi-domain structure, with the N-terminal part acting as a DNA binding domain (DBD) that recognizes a DNA-binding motif similar to the IFN-stimulated response element (ISRE). The C-terminal part contains the IRF-association domain (IAD), with which they can self-associate, bind to IRF family members or interact with other transcription factors. This complex formation is crucial for DNA binding and the commencing of target-gene expression. IRFs bind DNA and exert their activating potential as homo or heterodimers with other IRFs. Moreover, they can form complexes (e.g., with Signal transducers and activators of transcription, STATs) and collaborate with other co-acting transcription factors such as Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and PU.1. In time, more of these IRF co-activating mechanisms have been discovered, which may play a key role in the pathogenesis of many diseases, such as acute and chronic inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. Detailed knowledge of IRFs structure and activating mechanisms predisposes IRFs as potential targets for inhibition in therapeutic strategies connected to numerous immune system-originated diseases. Until now only indirect IRF modulation has been studied in terms of antiviral response regulation and cancer treatment, using mainly antisense oligonucleotides and siRNA knockdown strategies. However, none of these approaches so far entered clinical trials. Moreover, no direct IRF-inhibitory strategies have been reported. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the different IRF-mediated transcriptional regulatory mechanisms and how they reflect the diverse functions of IRFs in homeostasis and in TLR and IFN signaling. Moreover, we present IRFs as promising inhibitory targets and propose a novel direct IRF-modulating strategy employing a pipeline approach that combines comparative in silico docking to the IRF-DBD with in vitro validation of IRF inhibition. We hypothesize that our methodology will enable the efficient identification of IRF-specific and pan-IRF inhibitors that can be used for the treatment of IRF-dependent disorders and malignancies.

Evaluation of the Therapeutic Effect of a Flavonoid Prescription against Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease In Vivo

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) is an acute, high fatal contagious disease induced by rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) with acute severe hepatic injury and causes huge economic loss worldwide. In order to develop an effective and reliable drug to treat this disease in clinic, a prescription formulated with baicalin, linarin, icariin, and notoginsenoside R1 (BLIN) according to the theory of syndrome differentiation and treatment in traditional Chinese veterinary medicine was applied to investigate its curative effects against RHD in vivo. The preliminary study results showed that BLIN prescription exerted good curative effect on RHD therapy. To further validate the curative effect and to investigate the possible related curative mechanisms of this drug, the survival rates, the plasma biochemical indexes of hepatic function, the plasma evaluation indexes of oxidative injury, and the RHDV gene expression levels were detected and then the correlation among these indexes was also analyzed. These results showed that BLIN prescription could significantly increase the survival rate, reduce the hepatic injury severity, alleviate the oxidative injury, and decrease the RHDV gene expression level in rabbits infected with RHDV. All these results indicate that BLIN prescription possesses outstanding curative effect against RHD, and the curative mechanism may be related to its antioxidant and anti-RHDV activities. Therefore, this prescription can be expected to be exploited into a new candidate for RHD therapy in clinic.

Association of genetic polymorphisms in interferon-γ, interleukin-6 and transforming growth factor-β1 gene with oral lichen planus susceptibility

BACKGROUND

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a premalignant mucocutaneous disease in which genetic factors and immune responses play a major role. Cytokines play an important role in the pathogenesis and disease progression of OLP. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of gene polymorphisms of T helper cell subtype Th1 and Th2 cytokines, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 on OLP susceptibility in a Saudi cohort.

METHODS

Forty two unrelated patients with OLP and 195 healthy controls were genotyped for IFN-γ (874A/T), IL-6 (174G/C) and TGF-β1 (509C/T) polymorphisms.

RESULTS

The frequency of genotype AT of IFN-γ (874A/T) was significantly higher while genotype AA was lower in OLP patients as compared to controls (P < 0.05). The frequency of T containing genotypes (AT + TT) was also higher in OLP patients as compared to that in controls (P = 0.003). The frequencies of allele T was higher while that of allele A lower in patients than the controls however the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.07). There was no significant difference in the frequencies of alleles and genotypes of IL-6 (174G/C) and TGF-β1 (509C/T) polymorphisms between patient and control groups. These results indicated that genotype AT of IFN-γ (874A/T) polymorphism is associated with OLP risk and genotype AA is protective to OLP. On the other hand the polymorphisms IL-6 (174G/C) and TGF-β1 (509C/T) may not be associated with OLP risk in our population.

CONCLUSION

It is concluded that IFN-γ (874A/T) polymorphism is associated with the susceptibility of OLP, however further studies with large sample size involving different ethnic populations should be conducted to strengthen our results.

Identification of the transcriptional regulators by expression profiling infected with hepatitis B virus

BACKGROUND

The molecular pathogenesis of infection by hepatitis B virus with human is extremely complex and heterogeneous. To date the molecular information is not clearly defined despite intensive research efforts. Thus, studies aimed at transcription and regulation during virus infection or combined researches of those already known to be beneficial are needed.

AIMS

With the purpose of identifying the transcriptional regulators related to infection of hepatitis B virus in gene level, the gene expression profiles from some normal individuals and hepatitis B patients were analyzed in our study.

METHODS

In this work, the differential expressed genes were selected primarily. The several genes among those were validated in an independent set by qRT-PCR. Then the differentially co-expression analysis was conducted to identify differentially co-expressed links and differential co-expressed genes. Next, the analysis of the regulatory impact factors was performed through mapping the links and regulatory data. In order to give a further insight to these regulators, the co-expression gene modules were identified using a threshold-based hierarchical clustering method. Incidentally, the construction of the regulatory network was generated using the computer software.

RESULTS

A total of 137,284 differentially co-expressed links and 780 differential co-expressed genes were identified. These co-expressed genes were significantly enriched inflammatory response. The results of regulatory impact factors revealed several crucial regulators related to hepatocellular carcinoma and other high-rank regulators. Meanwhile, more than one hundred co-expression gene modules were identified using clustering method.

CONCLUSIONS

In our study, some important transcriptional regulators were identified using a computational method, which may enhance the understanding of disease mechanisms and lead to an improved treatment of hepatitis B. However, further experimental studies are required to confirm these findings.

Tumor Suppressor Interferon-Regulatory Factor 1 Counteracts the Germinal Center Reaction Driven by a Cancer-Associated Gammaherpesvirus

Gammaherpesviruses are ubiquitous pathogens that are associated with the development of B cell lymphomas. Gammaherpesviruses employ multiple mechanisms to transiently stimulate a broad, polyclonal germinal center reaction, an inherently mutagenic stage of B cell differentiation that is thought to be the primary target of malignant transformation in virus-driven lymphomagenesis. We found that this gammaherpesvirus-driven germinal center expansion was exaggerated and lost its transient nature in the absence of interferon-regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1), a transcription factor with antiviral and tumor suppressor functions. Uncontrolled and persistent expansion of germinal center B cells led to pathological changes in the spleens of chronically infected IRF-1-deficient animals. Additionally, we found decreased IRF-1 expression in cases of human posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder, a malignant condition associated with gammaherpesvirus infection. The results of our study define an unappreciated role for IRF-1 in B cell biology and provide insight into the potential mechanism of gammaherpesvirus-driven lymphomagenesis.

IMPORTANCE

Gammaherpesviruses establish lifelong infection in most adults and are associated with B cell lymphomas. While the infection is asymptomatic in many hosts, it is critical to identify individuals who may be at an increased risk of virus-induced cancer. Such identification is currently impossible, as the host risk factors that predispose individuals toward viral lymphomagenesis are poorly understood. The current study identifies interferon-regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1) to be one of such candidate host factors. Specifically, we found that IRF-1 enforces long-term suppression of an inherently mutagenic stage of B cell differentiation that gammaherpesviruses are thought to target for transformation. Correspondingly, in the absence of IRF-1, chronic gammaherpesvirus infection induced pathological changes in the spleens of infected animals. Further, we found decreased IRF-1 expression in human gammaherpesvirus-induced B cell malignancies.

The interferon regulatory factors as novel potential targets in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases

The family of interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) consists of nine members (IRF1-IRF9) in mammals. They act as transcription factors for the interferons and thus exert essential regulatory functions in the immune system and in oncogenesis. Recent clinical and experimental studies have identified critically important roles of the IRFs in cardiovascular diseases, arising from their participation in divergent and overlapping molecular programmes beyond the immune response. Here we review the current knowledge of the regulatory effects and mechanisms of IRFs on the immune system. The role of IRFs and their potential molecular mechanisms as novel stress sensors and mediators of cardiovascular diseases are highlighted.

Association between IFN-γ genetic polymorphisms and susceptibility to hepatitis B virus infection: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has become a global health burden because of its contagious mode of transmission and the resultant long-term liver damage.

AIM

To investigate how the polymorphisms of the IFN-γ gene, particularly the IFN-γ +874T/A (rs2430561) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), influence susceptibility to HBV infection.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Relevant articles were identified by a comprehensive literature search covering the following computerised bibliographic databases. Eleven independent case-control studies were ultimately selected for the current meta-analysis, comprising a total of 1527 HBV cases and 1467 healthy subjects.

RESULTS

The results in the current meta-analysis showed that carriers of the IFN-γ A allele were more likely to develop HBV infection than those without in all five genetic models (all p < 0.05). According to the ethnicity-based sub-group analysis, a significant difference of the IFN-γ rs2430561 T > A polymorphism was detected associated with the increased risk of HBV infection in Asians and European-derived populations in the majority of the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The results implicate a possible relationship between the IFN-γ rs2430561 T > A polymorphism and the risk of HBV infection. Therefore, IFN-γ genetic polymorphisms might be important in determining an individual's susceptibility to HBV infection.

Investigation into the effects of antioxidant-rich extract of Tamarindus indica leaf on antioxidant enzyme activities, oxidative stress and gene expression profiles in HepG2 cells

The leaf extract of Tamarindus indica L. (T. indica) had been reported to possess high phenolic content and showed high antioxidant activities. In this study, the effects of the antioxidant-rich leaf extract of the T. indica on lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme activities, H₂O₂-induced ROS production and gene expression patterns were investigated in liver HepG2 cells. Lipid peroxidation and ROS production were inhibited and the activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase was enhanced when the cells were treated with the antioxidant-rich leaf extract. cDNA microarray analysis revealed that 207 genes were significantly regulated by at least 1.5-fold (p < 0.05) in cells treated with the antioxidant-rich leaf extract. The expression of KNG1, SERPINC1, SERPIND1, SERPINE1, FGG, FGA, MVK, DHCR24, CYP24A1, ALDH6A1, EPHX1 and LEAP2 were amongst the highly regulated. When the significantly regulated genes were analyzed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software, “Lipid Metabolism, Small Molecule Biochemistry, Hematological Disease” was the top biological network affected by the leaf extract, with a score of 36. The top predicted canonical pathway affected by the leaf extract was the coagulation system (P < 2.80 × 10⁻⁶) followed by the superpathway of cholesterol biosynthesis (P < 2.17 × 10⁻⁴), intrinsic prothrombin pathway (P < 2.92 × 10⁻⁴), Immune Protection/Antimicrobial Response (P < 2.28 × 10⁻³) and xenobiotic metabolism signaling (P < 2.41 × 10⁻³). The antioxidant-rich leaf extract of T. indica also altered the expression of proteins that are involved in the Coagulation System and the Intrinsic Prothrombin Activation Pathway (KNG1, SERPINE1, FGG), Superpathway of Cholesterol Biosynthesis (MVK), Immune protection/antimicrobial response (IFNGR1, LEAP2, ANXA3 and MX1) and Xenobiotic Metabolism Signaling (ALDH6A1, ADH6). In conclusion, the antioxidant-rich leaf extract of T. indica inhibited lipid peroxidation and ROS production, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities and significantly regulated the expression of genes and proteins involved with consequential impact on the coagulation system, cholesterol biosynthesis, xenobiotic metabolism signaling and antimicrobial response.

Interferon Gamma +874T/A Polymorphism Increases the Risk of Hepatitis Virus-Related Diseases: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis

Background

Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) is a key regulatory cytokine, which plays an important role in antiviral defense of an infected host. However, the association between the IFN-γ +874T/A gene polymorphism and hepatitis virus-related diseases is heterogeneous.

Methods

Based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses statement, a comprehensive literature search of eligible studies in Embase, Pubmed, and the Cochrane Library was undertaken through November 2014. Odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to measure the strength of the models.

Results

Seventeen case-control articles, including 24 studies with 5503 individuals, met the inclusion criteria. The results indicated a statistically significant association between the IFN-γ +874T/A polymorphism and hepatitis virus—related diseases in a recessive gene model (AA vs. TT+TA: OR=1.350, 95% CI=1.101-1.657, P=0.004, I²%=54.3, and P_Q=0.001 for heterogeneity), especially in Asians (OR=1.407, 95% CI=1.035-1.911, P=0.029, I²%=61.9, and P_Q=0.005 for heterogeneity) and hepatitis B virus (HBV)–related disease (OR=1.486, 95% CI=1.195–1.849, P=0.000, I²%=40.4, and P_Q=0.053 for heterogeneity).

Conclusions

The evidence suggests that the IFN-γ +874T/A polymorphism increases the risk of hepatitis virus—related diseases, especially in Asians and HBV—related diseases. Further studies on this topic in different ethnicities, especially genome-wide association studies, should be conducted to strengthen our results.

Interferon gamma polymorphisms and hepatitis B virus-related liver cirrhosis risk in a Chinese population

Background

Previous studies proved that interferon gamma (IFN-γ) gene polymorphisms were associated with the risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, the association between IFN-γ polymorphisms and HBV-related liver cirrhosis (HBV-LC) risk is still unclear.

Methods

IFN-γ +874 T/A and +2109G/A genotypes were determined in 126 HBV-LC patients, 129 chronic hepatitis B(CHB) patients, and 173 early HBV infection controls using a sequence-specific primer-polymerase chain reaction and a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism, respectively.

Results

Significant associations were observed between +2109A/G polymorphisms and HBV-LC risk in the co-dominant model (GG vs. AA: OR = 0.321, 95% CI = 0.130-0.793, P = 0.014), the allelic model (OR = 0.565, 95% CI = 0.388-0.825, P = 0.003), the dominant model (OR = 0.551, 95% CI = 0.344-0.883, P = 0.013), and the recessive model (OR = 0.385, 95% CI = 0.159-0.930, P = 0.034). In addition, haplotype analysis indicated that the T⁺⁸⁷⁴G⁺²¹⁰⁹ haplotype significantly decreased the HBV-LC risk (OR = 0.106, 95% CI = 0.022-0.502, P = 0.000), and A⁺⁸⁷⁴A⁺²¹⁰⁹ haplotype significantly increased the LC risk (OR = 1.485, 95% CI = 1.065-2.070, P = 0.019). No significant associations were observed between IFN-γ +874 T/A polymorphisms and HBV-LC risk, as well as the two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and CHB risk (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

Our observations suggested a significant association of IFN-γ polymorphisms with HBV-LC risk in the Chinese population.

Relationship between cytokine gene polymorphisms and chronic hepatitis B virus infection

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is still a public health problem worldwide, being endemic in some parts of the world. It can lead to serious liver diseases such as chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular cancer. The differences in host immune response can be one of the reasons for the various clinical presentations of HBV infection. Polymorphisms of genes encoding the proinflammatory and antiinflammatory cytokines, which are responsible for regulation of the immune response, can affect the clinical presentation of the infection. Particularly, the polymorphisms of the genes encoding cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-18, IL-28B, interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, tumor growth factor-β1, and regulatory molecules like vitamin D receptor and chemokine receptor 5 can be responsible for different clinical presentations of HBV infections. The genomic information about cytokines and other mediators can be important for determining high-risk people for developing chronic hepatitis or hepatocellular cancer and may be used to plan treatment and preventive approaches for these people. In this review, the current knowledge in the literature on the association between cytokine/regulatory molecule gene polymorphisms and clinical course of chronic HBV infection is summarized, and the clinical implementations and future prospects regarding this knowledge are discussed.

The interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) +874T allele reduces the risk of hepatitis B infection in an Asian population

Increasing evidence suggests that polymorphism of the interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) gene in the first intron at position +874 may be associated with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and/or HBV clearance. However, the results of relevant studies have been inconsistent. To derive a more precise estimation of the association, we performed a meta-analysis. In total, 10 independent studies including 1661 chronic HBV-infected patients and 1142 controls were included in this meta-analysis. In studies following Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE), a significantly decreased risk of chronic HBV infection was associated with the IFN-γ + 874TT genotype in the overall population (TT vs AA: odds ratio (OR) = 0.714, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.526-0.969, P = 0.031) when compared with a spontaneously recovered population. Subgroup analysis by ethnicity revealed a similar association in Asian individuals (TT vs AA: OR = 0.706, 95% CI = 0.518-0.962, P = 0.028). Moreover, when compared with a healthy control group, the 874T allele was associated with a significant lower risk of chronic HBV infection in the overall populations (TA vs AA: OR = 0.439, 95% CI = 0.193-0.997, P = 0.049; TT + TA vs AA: OR = 0.475, 95% CI = 0.271-0.832, P = 0.009) and in Asian individuals (TA vs AA: OR = 0.862, 95% CI = 0.744-0.999, P = 0.048). In conclusion, the IFN-γ + 874TT genotype and 874T allele reduce the risk of chronic HBV infection in Asian individuals.